Weekes is top king in prelims

In what may be Brian MacFarlane's curtain call mas presentation, the king of his 2013 presentation titled, Joy the Finale, topped the preliminary round of the King category of the King and Queen of Carnival competition on Thursday at the Queen's Park Savannah.

Portraying "Aito Yujo No Yorokobi" ("The Joy of Love and Friendship"), Gerard Weekes scored 460 points to take the lead as the competition moves into the semi-final round next week. Placing second on the night some 27 points behind Weekes was Ted Eustace whose presentation titled, "Moko In Flames" from the band Trini Revellers earned him 433 points.

In the Queen category Liselle Frauenfelder scored the highest with her presentation titled, "Danis Wantaim-The Dance Of Reconciliation" from the band known as, D Krewe Company.

She received 428 points, just eight more than Kay Mason who portrayed, "From Darkness to Light" from Rosalind Gabriel's 2013 presentation, From Darkness to Light scoring 420 points.

The offerings on Thursday were overall much better than the crop of kings and queens that competed in Carnival 2012 when patrons complained at that preliminary over the lack of creativity on that night. There was a lot of craft employed in the costumes, which also featured a wide assortment of colours and also elements of wire bending, fiberglass and natural materials.

The preparation area behind the North Stand was also much more organised that last year, showing that the National Carnival Bands Association and the National Carnival Commission were more in sync this time around.

President of the NCBA, David Lopez, told the Express he was pleased with the venue and also the quality of presentations although he said there are still improvements to be made.

"For the all years that I've been involved in Carnival, I think I can safely say this year, as far as the preparations for the event are concerned, I am satisfied. There were great improvements in facilities, but of course there is always room for improvement."

He added, "I was not disappointed with the turnout, which I think was fair. We've never filled the Grand Stand, but we are working on the attendance improving as we move ahead. The winds of change are blowing and at the end of the day, I believe we will have a very successful Carnival 2013 and also in the years to come."

The current standings as the competition moves into the semi-finals on Tuesday at the Queen's Park Savannah, Port of Spain, from 7 p.m.